Car-coupling



R. J. EDWARDS. Y

, CAR GOUPLING.

No. 381,349. l Patented-Apr. 17, 1388.. f

lil

. To @ZZ whom it may concern.'

a citizen of thefUnited States, residing atyGa.

UNITED- Furtif-FES f RroHARnJ. EDWARDS', onjqALEnA, iLLnvois i SPECIICAtTIN forming partof LettersIEfatento. 381,`49,d`a.tei .Apri1'1'7,18i 38..

Application filed February G, 1888.V Serial 'N o. 263,104. (No model.)

Be it kown that 1, RICHARD J. EDWARDS,

lena, in thefcounty" fJo Daviess and State of Illinois, have invented'certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplings, of which'the following vis ai specification,` referencel beingy had therein to the accompanying drawings; w

My invention'has' relation to. certain new and useful improvements vin `automatic car-"coup-vv lers, it having particular reference tol that class of devices covered byLette1'sPatentNo.363, 614 issued to me on the 24th day of May, 1887, this invention" being practically an improvement on saidA patent, embodying some of its mostim portant features, as will'` be morecfully hereinafter set forth. v

- The special object of this invention is to im.`

prove the coupling andunCOtlPlUg devices l' whereby they are renderedy `more positive in operation and more durable in ,constructionY and'arrangement, as will presently appear.

The inventionconsists of certainnovel' fea- -tures of construction and arrangements of parts, that will be fully hereinafter described,

,and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which form I a part of this specification; Figure 1 represents a longitudinal sectional View of a portion of a sectional View of the draw-bar.

f draw-head. i

car with my improved coupler attached, the coupling devices being shown in a position ready for coupling; Fig. 2, a similar. View of. the draw-bar detached, showing the parts coupled; Fig. 3, a detail perspective View. of the upright lever, pivoted in the draw-head audits operating-rod; Fig. 4, a perspective' view of thesliding dog for holding up the up-v per coupling-pin; and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal Referring to the drawings by letter, Adesignates a portion of a car, and B the draw-bar! attached theretoiin'auyof the usual and wellknown ways. and provided with the usual O designates theusual coupling-pin setting4 in the vertical apertures c c thereforv in the draw-head, and held against loss by a'suitable chain which attaches it securely tothe drawhead. Extending into-the lower aperture, a',

of the draw-head is a `vertically-working setting-pin D, the upper end of which is recessed or slotted at b, forja purpose hereinafter'y set Ihandles at the sides ofthecar, asishown in Y 70,

' der'ed Aat' c, "and this shouldered en dfis' loosely v contined in .'a slot `in,the'forwar'd endof apiv-` 55 -oted lever, E,v the Ipiu being'ther'eby held to its place in the'l'ower aperture` ofthe draw-head. l"Ihisfleverll eXtendsbaok, andfis'peferably pivotally connect'edto onei'of thegtiniibers of the. car," and. isv limited vin its'dow-uward-'move- 60' nentibyymeansofchains. F, connecting'itv to thedraw-headf vThis leverE is elevated,`andv vith it the lower setting-pin, D, `by means of 2a suitablel crankshaft, G, extending transveselyiof the bottom ofthe'cagand provided 65f midway'. itslength with 'a UshapedI crank arman which the leverrests, the said Drankf f'lhiscons'truction permits: the .draw-bar t'o75" move-forwardly and backwardlywithoutdis! vplacing'the lower pin, D, from thelowei' aperfy ture inthe drawhead, and a' lso prevents bindjing of the lowerpinjin the aperture'when the draw-bar .moves either way'. It will also b eeSo r` observed by reference vto this same guregthat the lower portion of .thedrawhead is some- 4what deeper or thicker'thau `the ordinary draw-v 1 hednow inu'se, the obj ectin this being-to af forlsuficient metal for the lower vend? of the 85' coupling-pin to pullagainst and atthesame,

r time permitthe lower'pin to' project wellintoAA n* the lower aperture. Pivoted `-in ay suitable slot, e, in the lower Vportion ofthe` draw-head, immediatelyto` fthe 9o rearlofltheMcoupling-pinaperture,isal1ever,H, f whichezitends up vertically across thelmouth` ofthe dra'whead and engages in the slotv of al slotted sliding'd ogI.k This dog` I isarrangedy to reciprocate in a vsuitable recesscastgin -the95 u'pper. portion ofthe draw-headA to theear of vandfin`c1oseproXirnityto thecouplin'gffpin L" aperture, theY dog-beingiprovided `at itsifor-w ward' end 'with af projection or lugff, which,

when the ldog is moved forward,exten dsacross roo.Y f.

the'said coupling-pin aperture andsservesto Support thecoupling-pin, aslshownlin Fig. l1, ready for coupling. Formed on'the lower end: ofthe pivoted lever-H is a forwardlylprojecting lug or arm, g, and hung on this lug or arm is a depending rod, J, the upper end of which. is slotted for engagement with the said lug g. rIhe lower portion of this depending rod J passes through a guiding-slot in the pivoted lever E, and is provided with a head or button on its lower end,which prevents its disconnection from the said pivoted lever. At a determined point in its length this depending rod is provided with shoulders or projections h,whieh come in contact with the lever E when the same is elevated, for a purpose hereinafter described.

It will be observed that, by reason of its weight, the tendency of the depending rod J is to keep the upper end of the pivoted lever H, and with it the sliding dog, pressed normally forward. It will be evident that this depending rod may also be made to serve to support the pivoted lever E, thus assisting or doing away entirely with the chains for that purpose.

By reference to Fig. 5 it will be observed that I have contracted the mouth of the drawhead to the rear of the coupling-pin, as at i, my object being to provide abutments or stops for the coupling-link, so that the vertical lever H will not be injured by the link when it enters the draw-head. rlhe rear end of the pivoted lever E is attached to one of the timbers of the car by an eyebolt, j, through the eye of which the lever passes. The lever is extended a little beyond the eyebolt, and is there provided with a head or sh0ulder,k, between which and the eyebolt'is interposed a coiled spring, Z, for a purpose hereinafter specified.

To place the devices in position for automatic coupling, the pivoted lever E is elevated by means of the crank-shaft G. The lower setting-pin, D, attached to the forward end of this lever, being also elevated thereby, will push up the coupling-pin, and the sliding dog I being held normally forward by means of the pivoted lever H and the depending rod J, as soon as the lower end of the coupling-.pin is above, it will move under the coupling-pin and into the recess or slot b in the upper end of the said settng-pinD, after which the pivoted lever, and .with it the pin D,is permitted to drop down ont of the way. y

When the coupling-link enters the drawhead, it impinges against the pivoted lever H and moves its upper end,and with it the slid ing dog, backward, thus permitting the upper pin to drop through the coupling link to couple the cars.

One of the essential features of this invention is the means whereby thesliding dog may be thrown back and the coupling-pin dropped when the entering coupling-link att-ached tb the adjacent car is too short to impinge or strike against the pivoted lever which usually operates the dog. This desirable object is accomplished by means of the shouldered depending rod J, hung on the forwardly-extending arm of the lever H in the following'manner: In case the entering link is not long enough to throw hack the pivoted lever H, and with it the sliding dog, the lever E is elevated until it comes in contact with the shoulders h upon the depending bar J, when the bar is also carried up. This bar, engaging as it does with the lower end of the lever H,will cause its upper end to move back and carry with it the sliding dog I, thereby releasing the coupling-pin and permitting it to drop into place.

In uncoupling, the coupling pin may be withdrawn by hand in the usual way, or may be ejected by means of the lower setting-pin', D, this being accomplished by giving a sudden quick movement to thclower pin by means of the crankshaft G, when the coupling-pin will be thrown ontof the aperture in the drawhead. V

The object in interposing a coiled spring between the eyebolt j and the head k of the lever E is to permit. the lever to move with the draw-bar when the same is moved back and forth 'in operation.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a car-coupling, the combination, with the draw-head provided with the vertical pinapertures, the front and rear walls of the lower portion of the lower one of vsaid apertures be.

ing cut away or beveled, as at d, of the lower setting-pin setting in the lower beveled aperture, and the pivoted lever E, connected to the said lower pin, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with the drawhead provided with the usual vertical pin-apertures, ofthe coupling-pin, the sliding dogin the drawhead to the rear of the coupling-pin, the lever H, pivoted in the draw head and engaging with the said sliding dog, the depending rod J, attached to the said lever H, and levers for operating the depending rod, substantially 'as described. Y

3. The combination, with the draw-head 4provided with the usual vertical apertures, of the coupling pin, the lower setting-pin, the sliding dog I,sliding in a recess to the rear of the couplingpin aperture, the pivoted lever H,engaging with the said sliding dog, t-he depending rod J, and operating-levers, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the draw-head, of the couplingpin, the sliding dog I, the pivoted lever H, engaging with and operating the said sliding dog, the said pivoted lever being provided on its lower end with a forward extension or arm, g, the depending rod J, hung on this arm g and provided with shoulders or projections h, the pivoted lever E, and a crank- IIO shaft for operating this lever E, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the drawhead, of the coupling-pin, the lower setting-pin, D, the lever E, for operating and supporting the said pin D, the sliding dog I, pivoted lever H, for

" 5 the crzatnk-shsift',y for opereting said lever E,`

operating` thesaid dog, the shouldered de-fV pending rod J ,hung uponthe saidpivoted 1e\v ver H, the'said depending rod. J passingthrough a longitudinal slot in the lever E,and

substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix Y presence of twowitnesses. substantially as described. A o

6.- The Combination, with the ,"iraJW-oan, -of the Vertical setting-pin D, inserted in the lower aperture of the draw-head, and the lever E, at- `ro taehed loosely to therlower end of this pin D, o

Witnesses: i JOHN M. LEEKLEY,

f the rear end of` the said leverEbeing yield# ingiy. and'pivotail y attached tothe car-timbers, f

inysignnture in j "RICHARD J; EDWARDS. 

